Feedback

August 21, 2001

* Sandy: I love Pernell Watson's column Answer Desk. I think he does a great job researching answers to the questions people send in; however, in Sunday's paper someone had asked about a controversial prayer offered by a Rev. Joe Wright to the Kansas State Legislature. But there was no mention in the column as to why this prayer was considered so controversial that many people seemed offended by it. I read the portion you printed in the paper several times and it looks like to me he was telling it like it is. But if there's more to it, how about putting it in the paper and if you can, print the whole prayer.

Editor's response: "Telling it like it is" is often controversial. That sample was pretty representative of how Rev. Wright crossed the usual boundaries of an inoffensive opening prayer for the legislature. What Pernell omitted, in fact, was the customary stuff about granting the lawmakers wisdom, and so on. But if you'd like to read it all, go to www.centralcc.org/joe.html, as Pernell suggested in the column.

* Ed, Hartfield: This is serious business. Your article Sunday about the remarkable 12-year-old baseball player who pitched a perfect game. You mention that he is from the Bronx. There is no borough in New York named the Bronx, as there are none named the Manhattan, the Queens, etc. However there is a borough named Bronx. Please set the record straight as we people from the Bronx, oops, are very sensitive about this common error.

Editor's response: Can't top your own version of the lesson. Thanks.

* Betty, Gloucester: Reference Sunday's page A10 article. I hope you will follow up on some of the victims in the story on the veterans receiving disability benefits. I think it would be a worthwhile thing to do, and should be publicized on the front page. If you could possibly do that you'd be doing a great service to veterans.

* You reported of a woman being fatally shot by a deputy in Abingdon, but failed to give us the race of the woman or deputy. Don't give us your standard "Race is not a factor involved in that." You don't have any proof that there was a racial component in the Reedy killing by police, yet you continue to insinuate that there is by reporting the color of the cops and the color of Reedy. At least be consistent. If you are going to report the deaths of people shot by cops then report all of them by race.

Editor's response: Sorry to disappoint you, but glad you already know the right answer: When race is relevant, we report it. In this case, the first- day response to the shooting in the community made race an issue, so much so that city officials immediately considered bringing the Citizens Unity Commission into the process of the investigation. The concern -- even mistrust -- about whether race was a factor in the chase and shooting is not a creation of the press, and it won't go away if it's not reported. In fact, addressing that mistrust head-on is the best practice, one reason the Citizens Unity Commission is prominently involved.

* Reference the story on the groundbreaking for the Aviation World's Fair. There were 2,500 people invited and 300 expected to attend, but is the public invited and welcome also? I could not find anything in your article that said so and I'd like to know.

Editor's response: Invitation-only seems to be the idea.

* Joe, Hampton: It was disappointing not to see the Associated Press follow-up story about the settlement of the Virginia Libertarian Party's lawsuit to have its candidates for governor and lieutenant governor identified by their party affiliation on the ballot in November. I'm told it made the Washington Post, the Fairfax Journal and the Prince William Journal. I enjoy the Daily Press each day but I would like to see fair coverage of all candidates in Virginia, especially now that we have a three-way candidate race for governor and lieutenant governor.

Editor's response: Thanks for following up. We used that story only in the Williamsburg edition Friday; it's on page C3 of our Local section in other editions today.

* What is going on with the comic strip called Zits? I have noticed re-runs and wonder why there have not been any new ones lately?

Editor's response: The cartoonist is on vacation, so the syndicate is sending "greatest hits."

* Joe, Williamsburg: Reference the recent feedback about the quality and/or the lack of quality of "Feedback" and the new editor. Mr. Gates: I did not know Will Corbin. Nor was Will Corbin a friend of mine. But you, Mr. Gates, are no Will Corbin.

Editor's response: I do know Will Corbin. Will Corbin is a friend of mine. And I agree with you. Neither am I Abraham Lincoln, Harmon Killebrew or the Queen of England. As Popeye put it, "I yam what I yam."